EU extends temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 2025

The EU Council agreed to extend temporary protection for people fleeing from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine to 4 March 2025, reported Channel 24.

The EU will support the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes.

Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez, Spanish Acting Minister of the Interior stated that the EU will support the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes. He emphasized that the prolongation of the protection status offers certainty to the more than 4 million refugees who have found a safe haven in the EU.

“We have agreed to extend temporary protection for one more year until March 2025 for all Ukrainian citizens who are forced to leave their country, as well as over 4 million Ukrainians, mainly women, to whom we have already provided temporary protection,” stated Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez.

This is “one of the biggest moments of solidarity that we have seen in the EU”, he said. Responding to a question from the correspondent of Channel 24, Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez stated that there is currently no alternative solution for Ukrainians after the expiration of temporary protection in 2025.

Background information
The temporary protection mechanism was activated on 4 March 2022 – only a few days after Russian armed forces launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine – and it was automatically extended by one year.

What is temporary protection?

Temporary protection is an EU mechanism activated in exceptional circumstances of mass influx of refugees. The system provides immediate and collective (without the need for individual applications) protection for displaced persons who are unable to return to their country of origin. The goal is to relieve the pressure on national asylum systems and allow displaced persons to enjoy coordinated rights across the EU territory.

Notably, the directive on temporary protection can be extended for a maximum of 3 years, until March 4, 2025. In the event the full-scale war continues beyond this period, an alternative mechanism will be introduced by Brussels to allow Ukrainians to stay in the EU.

“Let’s hope that this will not be necessary and that every person will be able to return to their country as soon as possible and live in peace and safety. However, it is clear that from the very beginning, we are already thinking about another alternative,” stated Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez.

How many Ukrainian refugees are currently living in the EU?

European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson confirmed that more or less exactly four million Ukrainians are benefiting from the temporary protection directive and this data is stable.

“The crossings across the borders between Ukraine and the EU is approximately 250,000 people per week, more or less in both directions. There are some seasonal changes, with Christmas and summer and so on, but the situation is more or less stable,” she said.

Ylva Johansson stated that Ukrainians are successfully integrating into the European labour market. In many EU member states, the majority of beneficiaries of temporary protection are already integrated into the labour market, she said.

“The figures we have from EU member states show that we have at least 750,000 people already working and around 350,000 participating in the activities of public employment services. But I think the figures are probably higher because not everything is reported,” noted the European Commission representative.

The rights Ukrainian displaced persons enjoy in the EU:

• Residence;
• Access to the labour market and housing;
• Medical assistance;
• Social welfare assistance;
• Access to education for children.

The Council still needs to formally approve the decision to extend the temporary protection directive. This will happen after legal clearance and translation into all EU languages.

24tv.ua